For me, the distinction is that the site was just starting out. Personally, I feel they're entitled to some leeway to get the conversation/momentum going. If this was happening 2 years down the road then I'd agree it's a problem.

If it were a dating site and the founders filled it with a bunch of fake profiles with pictures of models, then I would have an issue with it because I'd feel the user is being taken advantage of. If there's a fake profile submitting links to news stories, there isn't much of a victim.